Ski resorts hope recent snow will buoy business

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DENVER (AP) - Consistent snowstorms in the past couple of weeks could help Colorado resorts and hotels recover from a slow start to the winter season.

The Denver Post reports (http://bit.ly/ZikyWy ) visitation to 21 of the state's 25 ski areas was down 11.5 percent through the Christmas holidays because of sporadic snowfall. But Bill Tomcich, president of Stay Aspen Snowmass, says Mardi Gras celebrations last weekend and Presidents Day this weekend have filled area hotels, with two-week occupancy surging past 80 percent. He adds that this weekend, hotels from Aspen to Snowmass are almost completely booked.

The Mountain Travel Research Program is a survey of property management companies in 16 Western resort communities. Its director, Ralf Garrison, says the timing of the late-March Easter and upcoming school spring breaks bodes well for resorts.